Craig Wishart is one of Zimbabwe's most promising young
batsmen; he has been ear-marked for great deeds for years, and is now
looking ready to fulfil his potential.

Craig's father was a well-known local cricketer who played
much club and Logan Cup cricket, and also represented Rhodesia B during the
early Seventies, all in pre-first-class days. So Craig grew up with the
game, and first played formal cricket during the Eagles holiday programme,
run by George Goodwin, at the age of five. He was one of the youngest of a
group containing players several years his senior, but his talent stood
out. George Goodwin was also a family friend who invited Craig round to
his house to play with his own sons, and gave him most of his early
coaching. Craig looked the part of a batsman right from the start, and at
the age of seven was batting Number Four for the Groombridge School Colts
team (consisting mainly of ten-year-olds) and making useful scores. He was
always big for his age, and even then had the power and skill to outclass
most of his seniors.

The following year he moved to St John's Preparatory School
and was a leading light in a very strong team. He was well known for his
consistently heavy scoring, but he remembers few details apart from raking
all ten wickets in an innings with his `little seamers' in a match against
Alfred Beit School in Harare; he cannot remember when he scored his first
century. In his final year he was selected for the Partridges, the
national primary schools team.

Like so many other leading Zimbabwean players, his
high-school years were spent at Falcon College, near Esigodeni. He was
selected for the school first team when still in Form Three, played for the
Fawns, the national Under-15 team, and then for Zimbabwe Schools in 1991.
At about this time he made his highest score in any cricket to date, 198
not out against the Welsh school Darfed, out in Zimbabwe on tour.

He was fortunate to be developing at the time when Zimbabwe
cricket was just entering the Test arena and beginning to expand in other
directions. This opened up new opportunities for young players like Craig,
and he had the benefit of going on tours with the national Under-19 team to
Denmark and Cape Town. Andy Pycroft was coach, and Craig particularly
acknowledges all that he learnt from him. He produced a few good fifties,
but already people were saying that he should be scoring more heavily.

In club cricket, he played first for Harare Sports Club,
and then moved to his present club, known universally as Alex. He made his
first-class debut at the close of the 1992/93 season, against the touring
Kent county side, and impressed by making the top score of 65 in the first
innings, off exactly 100 balls, showing his ability to hit the ball hard
with 8 fours and 3 sixes.

The following two seasons were busy ones for Craig, as the
selectors had noted him as one to be encouraged and given all possible
experience, and Craig found himself included in almost every team short of
international level -- Logan Cup for Mashonaland Under-24s, the Zimbabwe
Board XI and most of the select teams toplay the various tourists. He
took a long time to find his feet. In 1993/94 he was usually out before
reaching double figures, although he scored two good fifties; the following
season he overcame that problem so well that only twice in 20 innings did
he fail to reach 10, but only three times did he pass 50. He feels that at
this stage he had not learnt to build an innings and tended to lose
concentration or become impatient, while others suspect that he also tends
to lack belief in his own outstanding ability.

Craig had now done enough to convince the selectors that he
was ready for Test cricket, although unusually for a batsman he made his
Test debut before he had scored a first-class century. He now felt he was
really part of first-class cricket, although scores of 24 and 13 added to
his reputation for failing to build on solid starts. He held out with
determination for a while against Allan Donald, whom he rates as being in a
class of his own as the best individual bowler he has faced.

Craig has yet to establish himself fully in Test cricket;
in six Tests before the England tour his only score of substance has been a
praiseworthy 51 in Sri Lanka. Generally, though, he struggled against the
Sri Lankan spinners on their home pitches, and even more so in Pakistan
against Wasim and Waqar, whom he rates almost as highly as Donald. Few
would doubt, though, that, all things being equal, he should have a long
and successful Test career ahead of him. He has also recorded his first
century at last, in the recent Logan Cup match in Bulawayo. With his
ability, he would not be over-ambitious to look regularly for
double-hundreds now. At present he feels that possibly the best innings he
ever played was his 53 in his second official one-day inter-national,
against India during the Singer World Series in Sri Lanka, when he came in
at a vital time and shared in a fine partnership with Andy Flower.

Craig has also developed as an `occasional' bowler in
first-class cricket, still bowling seamers and taking useful wickets at
times. In 1994/95 he startled everybody, not least himself, by taking nine
wickets in a Logan Cup match against Matabeleland, which shows that the
potential for better things is there. At present, though, he feels it is
wise to concentrate on his batting.

Craig names Dave Houghton as his cricket mentor and role
model, and particularly admires the way he so often comes up with the goods
when under pressure, admitting that he still tends to get too hyped-up
himself in pressure situations. Craig looks to mould himself on Houghton
and learn from the way he occupies the crease and handles the bowlers. He
also finds Andy Flower very helpful and willing to give him useful tips.

Craig used to play rugby and hockey at school, but now
devotes his full attention to cricket. For relaxation he enjoys fishing.

Alistair Campbell says, "If Dave Houghton does retire at
the end of the season, I believe that Craig is the man who can fill his
boots. He's a natural match-winner as well; he's played a couple of
innings this season that have been awesome to watch -- little cameos. He
scored a hundred recently in the Logan Cup after having a bit of a bad run
for a while, and hopefully he can come good for us, because once he gets
going he's magnificent. Hopefully he can learn how to play international
cricket, learn how to build big innings, and I believe he will have a major
part to play for us in the future."